Desperate Measures for Desperate Times
by Kimblee Whitehead
Summary: Some missions are sketchy. Some missions are both. Republic City is in grave danger, danger the president doesn't want the Avatar getting involved in. Lin Beifong leads a team of the world's most notorious criminals to face this threat. But can a terrorist and a dictator really be trusted? Probably not, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
1. Chapter 1

When President Raiko first suggested the idea, Lin laughed. She laughed, because she hoped the president was making some sort of joke. She hoped it was a joke, because it was _literally the most boneheaded idea she ever heard in her life._

But Raiko was dead serious, and it made Lin nervous.

What was his idea? He wanted to make a super-team. A team comprised of exceptionally skilled benders and fighters to accomplish abnormally dangerous missions. Missions that would, in most cases, be considered _suicide._

"Absolutely not," she commanded, "Besides, isn't that what the Avatar is for?"

"No," Raiko replied, "This are missions that are out of the Avatar's jurisdiction..."

"Nothing is out of the Avatar's jurisdiction."

"What I mean is...these are missions she wouldn't get involved in."

"You mean missions you don't want her involved in." Lin bit. The longer this conversation went on, the more disgusted she felt with her leader.

Raiko sighed, "Lin..."

"My men are not disposable pawns to be subjected to your shady suicide missions."

"We wouldn't be using the police force!" Raiko shouted, losing his cool. He stopped, and took a deep breath, "Or any Republic city citizen, for that matter."

Lin raised an eyebrow. She didn't know what the president was thinking, but she had the feeling she was about to dislike this even more. She leaned into the president's desk, making direct eye-contact with the man.

"Who?" She said, slowly. Carefully. Raiko simply smiled a snake's smile. Cunning. Deceiving.

It sickened her to the very core.

"Obviously, it would be unethical to place ordinary citizens in such a position," Raiko said, "On top of that, most people would be unwilling to join such a team. They wouldn't want to risk their lives. And understandably so."

"Get to the point," The police chief snapped.

"What I'm say is, we employ people who have nothing else to live for."

Raiko pulled out a file, and took some papers from within. He adjusted his glasses and began to look through them.

"The world has faced some tough foes over the years," Raiko mused, "Zaheer and Kuvira, for instance. They brought the world to it's knees with their power alone, and it was all the Avatar could do to stop them. Now that power is wasting away in a jail cell."

Lin's eyes widened. She gasped.

"Are you an idiot?" she yelled, "Zaheer and Kuvira are pondscum who deserve to be locked away in the deepest depths of hell! Not to mention that they'll betray the moment they leave their cells."

"We'll give them intensive not to," He said. Lin stood up, and began to walk towards the door.

"We are not unlocking a terrorist and a war criminal! End of discussion!" Lin shouted, "This meeting is over!"

"Come back to me when you reconsider." Raiko said, and she slammed the door to his office.

That was three months ago. She never thought she would even consider Raiko's crazy scheme. As far as Lin was concerned, the idea died in that room as she left. But as the police chief would later find out, desperate times call for desperate measures.

* * *

><p><em>I've been toying with the thought of Zaheer and Kuvira teaming up together. Plus, the two of them are fascinating, and I've been wanting to write something where they both team up. Anyways, we'll see how this goes, yes?<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Solitary confinement was a punishment meant to strip a criminal of their spirit. The intension was to seclude the person from the rest of the world. They would be put in a windowless room, devoid of the world outside. They would be devoid of anything to attempt to tell the passage of time. The only constant a person would have is the interaction with their thoughts.

It was a punishment that broke the spirits of most. But to the untrained eye, it would appear that Zaheer had accepted his life this state. In fact, he almost seemed content. A small smile hung on the edge of his lips. He never seemed to be in distress, and he never acted hostile towards the occasional guard who came his way. He was peaceful. Tranquil.

But the reality was, the confinement had the opposite effect on him. Yes, though his mortal body would be forever locked in his bindings, his spirit was as free as it ever was. There was an entirely different world he could travel at his leisure. Though they could temporarily take his bending, they could never take his access to the spirit realm. In fact, he lived a less restricted life then most of the world's unprisoned population.

This wasn't to say that he didn't intend to free his body. No, though his most trusted teammates had fallen long ago, his connection to the Red Lotus remained. He was a driven man, with a destiny to change the world for the better. That was the other benefit of solitary confinement; it gave him plenty of time to plot.

As it was, his plans lay dormant inside his mind, waiting for the right opportunity to be ignited.

And as the doors to his cell started to open, Zaheer had a feeling that today would be the day he got his chance.

As the entrance opened, there was a single White Lotus guard. With a thrust of his arm, a tight whip of water came rushing towards his body. Zaheer noticed that this whip was carrying something. A dart of some kind?

The dart hit his leg, and Zaheer felt the effects instantly. Knowing that consciousness would soon leave him, Zaheer's smile grew. There was only one reason they would feel the need to knock him out.

They were going to move him from this prison. For what purpose? He wasn't too concerned with that. He would find out soon enough.

* * *

><p>Lin sat alone in her office, changing the form of a small piece of metal. She had been told that such things were used to calm people's stress. Lin decided that whoever told her that was a good-for-nothing liar.<p>

As she sat, the world's most dangerous criminals were being retrieved for the president's task force. She sat alert next to her phone, waiting for the inevitable phone call that the president's plan was as much of a disaster as she anticipated. Zaheer and Kuvira had escaped, and were now creating god knows what havoc globally.

She pictured how nice it would be to call up the president, right then and then. How satisfying it would feel when she told him he could shove it, and that she changed her mind. She wasn't going to go through with this. Doing that, however, would require that she had a choice in the matter. Things were becoming dire in Republic City. Ever since the Earth Empire invasion a year prior, the city was struggling to get back on it's feet. It was getting there, but the process was slow. And certain individuals were taking advantage of that fact.

This team, though a horrible idea, was their last option.

It was then that her phone started to ring. Lin bended her metal into the wall, preparing to hear any number of worst case scenarios, some more likely then others.

_"Zaheer and Kuvira have escaped, and have killed all of the active guards on duty!"_

_"Zaheer and Kuvira have escaped and are in the process of destroying the northern water tribe!"_

_"Zaheer and Kuvira have escaped, and kidnapped the Avatar!"_

_"Zaheer and Kuvira have escaped and have accumulated an army of giant spirit mecha death rays!"_

"Bei Fong," she answered the phone, mentally preparing herself.

"_Zaheer has been acquired, and is being transported your way. Squad B is about to extract Kuvira."_

Lin let out a deep breath. So things hadn't gone to hell.

At least, not yet.

* * *

><p>Adjusting from the life of a leader, to the life of a prisoner wasn't an easy transition. Where her days used to be spent traveling her empire, where now spent in a small, windowless room. A small, windowless, platinum room that was designed especially for her<p>

Wasn't she lucky.

No, the life of a war criminal wasn't easy. But it was okay. It was a life she lived with dignity. She had set up a routine for herself to make things a little bit easier. Every (or what she assumed was morning), after she woke up, she would groom herself. She would undress, and sit under the small faucet (also made of titanium) placed in her cell. The water itself wasn't warm enough to be comfortable, but it wasn't cold enough to be freezing. She would let the water run over her body, as she did some stretches.

By the end of this, a plate of food would be slipped to her from a slot at the door. It usually consisted of a meat of some kind, some (usually stale) rice, a small cup of (not ripe) vegetables, and every once in a while, they would give her a piece of bread. This would be her food for the day. It was up to her to make it last.

She would eat a small portion of the meat and rice, then move onto the next part of her routine. She would do some push ups, some sit ups, and some general exercises to keep her body strong. She didn't do too many, as she wasn't given the calories to sustain too much exercise, but she did enough.

Sometimes during this point, a guard would slip in letters from the food slot. Some of these were letters from her supporters. Despite everything, there were still those who considered her a hero. How Republic City and the Avatar were horrible for locking her up. How they would always be loyal to her, how they would never recognize whatever policies Wu put in place, and so on. There wasn't anything too different about themEven war criminals have a fan base.

However, a lot of the letters she received were letters expressing hatred towards her. How they were glad she was in prison, how they hoped she was tortured daily, how much she deserved to be in prison. These letters also didn't hold much of a variety.

She didn't particularly enjoy reading either type of letter, but it was something to do. After reading the letters, she would eat the rest of her meat and rice, larger portions then she had before, leaving only the vegetables.

Finally, after everything else, she would get up, and practice her bending. She didn't have anything to bend with, of course, but she wanted to keep her movements sharp, for on the off chance she got out of the prison, she could still be a semi-skilled bender. But not only that, but she found freedom in her movement. She had never realized how much freedom she felt when she moved until being placed in this cell. Within the first few days of being in-prisoned, she started to feel very claustrophobic. When she practiced her bending, it helped suppress that feeling.

It was all that kept her sane and dignified. She would practice, until she physically couldn't practice any longer. And with that, she would go to bed, so she could start the routine again.

She sat under the faucet, and felt as the water trickled down her body. Her clothes lay neatly piled on her bed. She rolled her neck, letting the water fall to other parts of her body. Her eyes lay on the small food slot. Soon, they would be sending in her food for the day.

She heard the footsteps approaching the door, and nodded. Right on cue.

But instead of sending food in, she found that the doors opened. Outside stood two guards. They prepared to move in, before seeing her clothes less appearance. They stared at her with wide-eyes, like lemurs in the path of a train. She smirked. If they had opened her door, they obviously had some sort of an agenda, and seeing her bare wasn't part of it.

After a few awkward seconds, one of the guards finally spoke, "Put your clothes on, prisoner!"

Kuvira shrugged, and turned off the faucet. She felt no shame in this situation. She stood up, rung the excess water from her hair, and calmly walked to her bed. She placed on her prison uniform, grey pants with a grey shirt. She took a slower amount of time then normal to do this. After all, she had never had guards walk in on her like this. Something was happening, she knew that much. In taking her time, she could try and guess what was happening.

She wondered if they were here to relocate her to a different cell. A newer, smaller cell. Or maybe Raiko had decided to have her executed. That was a common fate for most war criminals, after all. Maybe one of her sympathizers was beginning to cause some trouble, and she was going to be interrogated. Whatever it was, she figured it didn't mean good things for her.

Her suspicions were confirmed when, right as she was about to turn around, she felt one of the guards grab her. This was immediately followed by a stinging sensation, as they injected her body with something. Judging by how she felt, she imagined this was a tranquilizer of some kind. Within seconds, she found herself in the realm of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you avatarfanlin, Ralf Jones, Guest, and LordChumley21 for reviewing<br>Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

The prisoners were placed in a small, sealed off room. It was completely closed off from the rest of the world. The walls were made with thick layers of platinum, to ensure two things. To insure that Kuvira couldn't use her bending abilities, and to guarantee that no radio or electric signal could get in and out of the room.

The two of them were currently strapped to two separate, also platinum, tables. Lin had watched with disgust as Raiko's men prepped them for the coming mission. The longer this circus show continued, the more she hated it. If these sorts of "preparations" were being committed upon anyone else, Lin wouldn't stand for it. Even though Zaheer and Kuvira were the lowest criminals, Lin still felt morally wrong about these things.

For one thing, the two of them were given enough of a tranquilizer to put a saber-tooth moose to sleep. She had been told there was no risk in giving them that much. She didn't believe them for a second, but of course, there was nothing she could do about it.

She watched as the two were brought in, and strapped to their tables like animals. A couple of doctors game in, checked their breathing and vitals, and made sure their were healthy. Basically, they were there to make sure that whatever was done next wouldn't outright kill them.

A chi-blocker was then sent in, to ensure that on of off chance they were able to sort through the tranquilizer, their bending was still useless.

The chi-blocker was sent out, and the pair of doctors were sent back in. This time, to do the most morally reprehensible procedure of all. This was the process that would ensure Zaheer and Kuvira's temporary loyalty.

Lin slammed her fist against the window as the procedure took place.

She felt disgusted with herself.

* * *

><p>Kuvira was greeted to the world of consciousness with a stinging headache. Her body felt heavy. Numb. What in the world did they inject her with?<p>

She was laying on something cold, she realized. No, not laying. Her limbs and torso were strapped down to something cold, insuring she couldn't move. And of course, her bonds were made of platinum.

"You're coming too," a voice said. It was deep and calm. She felt like she should be familiar with it. She opened her eyes, and found herself in a dark room. It reminded her of her cell.

She turned her head to her left, where she thought she heard the voice come from, to see a man in a similar position. The man had long, gray hair, and a matching beard. He also looked familiar.

It was then that her headache got worse. She groaned.

"Take deep breaths," the man said, "The more tranquil you are, the less everything hurts."

"It's hard to feel tranquil when you're strapped to a table," Kuvira replied. But none the less, she took a deep breath. Her mind was racing to figure out what was going on. She began to narrow down her options.

It obviously wasn't an execution, as they wouldn't have her in here with someone else. It couldn't be an interrogation, either, for much of the same reason.

"Can you feel your fingers?" the man asked. Kuvira blinked, processing the question. She looked down to her hand, and wiggled her fingers. They appeared to move just fine, although she could feel a slight tingling sensation. She looked back to the man, and nodded.

"I just regained the feeling in mine. Perhaps they hit me with a heavier dose," he pondered.

She could only think of one situation that might have been remotely similar to what they were experiencing. When she was a child, she had heard rumors of prisoners going missing from the cells of Ba Sing Se. It was theorized that they were taken by the Dai Li to secret underground laboratories, where they would be experimented upon.

Maybe that's where they were. It would make sense that the man with her was another prisoner of Republic City.

It was then, suddenly, their bindings clasped off. Kuvira looked down, and moved her wrist. It appeared as if they were free.

She slowly sat up, rubbing her wrist. She couldn't explain why, but something didn't feel quite right. Her body, it felt...different. They did something to here, she just couldn't figure out what.

It was then that a set of doors opened, and in walked Lin Bei Fong; the chief of police. Kuvira sneered.

"I don't want to hear any comments from either of you," she commanded. Bluntly, with authority, "Anything you say wastes away more time then you have, so shut up, and let me explain this situation."

Kuvira scowled, but realized that, given the current situation, she was helpless to do anything else. She sat down on the table, waiting to listen to what the Republic City Police Chief was going to say. She looked over to the other man, who appeared to be doing the same.

"In the past few months, we have been getting word that there is a terrorist organization beginning to form in our city. They have not committed any attacks, as of yet, but we have reason to believe they are planning a biological attack that could devastate this city."

"And you think we have something to do with that?" the man said. Lin glared at him.

"I said shut up!" she yelled, "Amazingly, no, we do not believe either of you has anything to do with it.

"Then what is the purpose of bringing us here?" the man asked, "Obviously, you wouldn't bring me out of my cell for any old reason, and I'd imagine she's much the same way." He said, pointing to Kuvira, "The two of us are people you want locked up for the rest of eternity. So why bring us here?"

"Don't test me, Zaheer," Lin said, "And if you don't stop talking, I'd have no problem pulling that tongue straight out of your head."

Kuvira's ears perked up. _Zaheer. _That's why the man looked so familiar. She'd faced him before. Twice. Very briefly. She didn't recognize him, now that he wasn't clean shaven. She clenched her fists. Why on earth would they bring her in a room with _Zaheer_?

"The bottom line is," Lin continued, "We believe we know where their base is. We need a task force to go in there, and take them out before they strike."

"...And you want us for your task force," Kuvira finished. Now it was her turn to be on the receiving end of a glare, but this one wasn't as sharp. In fact, Lin nodded her head.

"...Yes." Lin stated, "The two of you are some of the most powerful benders in the world, as well as the sharpest minds. We believe your abilities would benefit us in this situation."

"Why not send the Avatar?" Zaheer asked, "Isn't that her entire purpose? Protecting the_ 'order' _from being broken?"

Lin looked hesitant at his statement. She looked down at her feet. If Kuvira wasn't mistaken, she appeared to look ever-so-slightly reluctant.

"The Avatar can't handle this, because..."

"You have no proof that these people are, in fact, terrorists," Kuvira finished. It was the only logical explanation. The Avatar wouldn't do anything she didn't morally agree with. If there was the chance she was busting down ordinary citizens, she wouldn't go in.

"If that's the case, why not send in a squad of your men?" Zaheer asked, "Doesn't the Republic City Police have officers up to the task? Besides, it's not as if the police has ever had a problem with arresting citizens without evidence."

"We can't send in my men," Lin replied. Zaheer processed the situation, before smiling.

"It's too dangerous," he said, "You need a squad you can send in that's disposable. People no one would miss."

Lin opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. He was right. That's exactly what they were. A disposable task force.

"And you trust us?" Kuvira asked, "Zaheer's one of the world's most renown terrorists, and I destroyed half of Republic City."

"I know," Lin said, "Unfortunately...my men have given you an ultimatum."

There was a silence in the room, before Zaheer spoke again, "You injected us with something. What was it?"

"Poison," Lin replied. She tried to keep a stoic face, but she appeared to show some remorse, "We've injected both of you with a slow acting poison. It won't take effect right away, but you'll both be dead within ninety-six hours."

"Four days," Kuvira said, clenching her fists. She closed her eyes. That's why her body felt different. That's why she felt so wrong when she woke up. She was dying.

"Here are your options. If you help us, we'll administrate an antidote when the job is completed. If you don't, you die. What's it going to be?"

Kuvira was silent for a moment, before she scowled. She looked to Lin, fire in her eyes. She stood up.

It wasn't as if she had much of a choice.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you , Ralf Jones, and Marlin for the reviews. Unfortunately, this will be the last update of this until next year (which is in four whole hours!)<em>  
><em>Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this, and Happy New Year!<em>


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